The Fashion Brunch: Where Style Meets Community

Toronto’s fashion scene has a unique way of blending creativity, culture and community, and nowhere was that more evident than at The Fashion Brunch, which returned for its fifth annual edition on September 28 at Avant Garde Toronto.

Presented by Fraternity Brand and Sundé Social, the event brought together homegrown designers, live artistry and culinary creativity for a vibrant day of fashion, music, food and connection. After the show, Jason Burke spoke with Street Voices about the journey behind both the event and his brand.

A DIY Vision That Sparked a Movement

The Fashion Brunch was born out of necessity and imagination. Jason Burke, designer and creative entrepreneur, had reached a point where he was ready to showcase his work but found the cost of major platforms like Fashion Art Toronto out of reach. Instead of waiting for an opportunity, he built his own.

“I pitched the idea to Nate, who runs Sundé Social. They’d been doing events for a few years, and I’d been going to them. He was down,” Jason recalls. “So we did the first one about three years ago. It was a small studio, maybe 50 to 60 guests, but it went off. We’ve been doing it ever since.”

A Brunch That’s More Than Fashion

Unlike a standard runway show, The Fashion Brunch is designed as a multi-disciplinary experience. Each edition brings together a curated marketplace of local entrepreneurs, live painters creating on the spot, and a dynamic lineup of performers including R&B singers, rappers and a live band that sets the tone for the runway.

This year’s featured clothing brands included Rice Apparel, a women-led label by Shrice Shillingford; BE ON GREAT; and Fraternity Brand, the refined streetwear label at the heart of the event. Guests were able to browse and shop, vibe to live music, watch artists at work and enjoy a curated brunch by a local chef. The atmosphere blended fashion, art and food in a way that felt both elevated and deeply rooted in community.

Fraternity: A Jacket That Started It All

The story of Fraternity Brand is a lesson in intuition and entrepreneurship. Long before the label was born, Jason was running REP Clothing, a streetwear brand he started at 16. But everything changed when he spotted a fabric he loved in a Queen Street shop and had a single jacket made just for himself.

While wearing that jacket one day, an older woman approached him, eager to know where she could buy it. “My entrepreneur mind went off,” he laughs. “I went back to Affordable Textiles and bought everything they had. We made 10 jackets, brought them to Get Fresh on Queen Street, and within two weeks, they were sold out. No name, no logo, just the jackets.”

Naming the new brand took time. REP Clothing didn’t fit the elevated direction he envisioned. “I wanted it to represent a brotherhood of fashionable gentlemen,” he says. The answer came through research: the Celtic knot; a symbol of togetherness, became the logo, and Fraternity was born.

Today, Fraternity Brand prides itself on timeless, detail-driven design and a community-minded philosophy. Its promise is to remain respectful toward its products, lifestyle and community, creating sophisticated, quality pieces that complement people’s lives.

Building Platforms for BIPOC Creatives

Beyond the clothes and performances, the Fashion Brunch is about creating space. Working alongside Sundé Social, an organization that focuses on BIPOC audiences and artists, the event provides a platform for designers, musicians and entrepreneurs who might not otherwise be represented in traditional fashion spaces.

“It’s not your typical fashion show,” Jason explains. “Many of the people who come, it’s their first fashion show ever. It has a different feel, a lot more community-based, a lot more of the people.”

Sundé Social hosts monthly events featuring live painters, vendors and performers, laying the foundation for the brunch’s inclusive and vibrant atmosphere.

Looking Ahead

After initially running the event twice a year, organizers now focus on one annual edition, but the vision is growing. “I tend to dream big,” Jason says. “I’d love to bring the Fashion Brunch to other places, maybe Jamaica, and just travel with it.”

The fifth edition of The Fashion Brunch captured that spirit of growth. With its vibrant mix of fashion, live art, music and food, the event has become a fixture in Toronto’s cultural calendar, offering something truly different for audiences who crave authenticity and community.

Street Voices would like to thank Jason Burke for his time.

First 5 photos by KIROS Images (1- Fraternity Brand, 2- BE ON GREAT, 3- Rice Apparel)
6th and 7th photos by ADB Photogtaphy.
Makeup by Cece.